Team America: World Police

Team America: World Police

Team America: World Police is a 2004 black comedy action film directed by Trey Parker and written by Parker, Matt Stone and Pam Brady, all of whom are also known for the popular animated television series South Park. Starring Parker, Stone, Kristen Miller, Masasa, Daran Norris, Phil Hendrie, Maurice LaMarche, Chelsea Marguerite, Jeremy Shada and Fred Tatasciore, the film is a satire of big-budget action films and their associated clichés and stereotypes, with particular humorous emphasis on the global implications of the politics of the United States. The title is derived from domestic and international political criticisms that the foreign policy of the United States frequently and unilaterally tries to "police the world". Team America follows the fictional titular paramilitary police force and their recruitment of a Broadway actor in an attempt to save the world from North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, who is leading a conspiracy of Islamic terrorists and liberal Hollywood actors in a bid for global destruction. Instead of live actors, the film uses a style of puppetry based on Supermarionation, known for its use in the British TV series Thunderbirds, although Stone and Parker were not fans of that show. The duo worked on the script with former South Park writer Brady for nearly two years. The film had a troubled time in production, with various problems regarding the marionettes, as well as the scheduling extremes of having the film come out in time. In addition, the filmmakers fought with the Motion Picture Association of America, who returned the film over nine times with an NC-17 rating due to an explicit sex scene in the film. The film was cut by less than a minute and rated R for "graphic crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language – all involving puppets". The film premiered at the Denver Film Festival on October 14, 2004, and was released theatrically in the United States the following day on October 15, 2004, by Paramount Pictures. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and grossed over $51 million worldwide against its $32 million budget.

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